The Baseball Hall of Fame open up a whole can of worms with its 2017 class.
Of the three players elected into the Hall this year, two — Ivan Rodriguez and Jeff Bagwell — were suspected of using PEDs during their playing days. That hardly makes them unique for their era, but it also creates a bit of a double standard after players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were left out of the 2017 class.
At least that’s the mindset of Hall of Famer and former Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas, who pointed out that if Rodriguez and Bagwell are Hall of Famers, there’s no reason why other alleged PED users shouldn’t get in, too.
“(Bonds and Clemens) should be in now, as far as I’m concerned,” Thomas said Saturday at a White Sox fan convention, via the New York Post. “They’ve let a few people in already we all know. It’s uncomfortable at this point. I’m sure this year’s going to be uncomfortable because we’ve got two great players going in, but they know. It’s no secret. If they didn’t do it, they would be stomping and kicking and in interviews saying, ‘I didn’t do it.'”
If Thomas had his way, though, no suspected PED users should be in the Hall.
“Not happy at all,” Thomas said when asked how felt about Rodriguez and Bagwell getting in. “Some of these guys were great players. But they wouldn’t have been great players without drugs.
“… I don’t mind these guys doing what they want to do for their families and make their money. But don’t come calling to the Hall of Fame and say ‘I’m supposed to be in the Hall of Fame’ when you know you cheated.”
Thumbnail photo via Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports Images
